1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus which images a subject. The present invention also relates to a method of measuring a subject.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-006941, filed Jan. 15, 2010, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Industrial endoscope apparatuses are used to observe or inspect inside damage, corrosion, and the like of a boiler, a turbine, an engine, a pipe, and the like. Moreover, there is an endoscope apparatus having a function of measuring the length, area, and the like using the principle of triangulation based on a measurement point designated on an image imaged by the endoscope. This endoscope apparatus has a plurality of kinds of optical adapters prepared to observe and inspect various objects, and a distal portion of the endoscope apparatus can be replaced.
An example of such an optical adapter includes a stereo optical adapter capable of imaging two subject images relating to the same subject. Using the stereo optical adapter, the length, area, and the like of the subject can be measured by calculating three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the subject using the principle of triangulation based on the coordinates of left and right optical system distance calculating points when the subject images are captured by the left and right optical systems.
FIGS. 20A and 20B show an example of a screen (hereinafter, referred to as measurement screen) which is displayed by a display device of an endoscope apparatus at the time of the measurement mode. A left image 900a and a right image 900b corresponding to left and right subject images captured by a stereo optical adapter are displayed on the measurement screen shown in FIG. 20A.
A cursor 910 for designating a measurement point indicating a measurement position is displayed on the left image 900a. A corresponding point cursor 920, which indicates a position of a corresponding point corresponding to the position of the cursor 910, is displayed on the right image 900b. The display position of the cursor 910 is set based on the instruction that the user inputs to the endoscope apparatus. When the cursor 910 is set in the left image 900a, matching processing is performed to calculate a position, on the right image 900b, of a corresponding point corresponding to the display position of the cursor 910.
The user can move the cursor 910 within the display screen by inputting the movement instruction of the cursor 910 to the endoscope apparatus. The corresponding point cursor 920 is moved along with the movement of the cursor 910. As shown in FIG. 20B, when the user inputs an instruction of designating (fixing) a measurement point after moving the cursor 910 to a desired position, a measurement point mark 930 indicating the position of the designated measurement point is displayed at the position of the cursor 910, and a corresponding point mark 940 is displayed at the position of the corresponding point corresponding to the measurement point. After a plurality of measurement points are designated, the measurement of the subject is performed based on the positions of the measurement points. Details of a measurement procedure of a subject based on a plurality of measurement points on a left image and their corresponding points on a right image is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2008-185895.